Unitary package for a glass or similar article

Abstract

A package for glassware and the like formed from a single blank of sheet material having folding lines and cuts therein. The package is convertible from a closed protective rectangular box to a display package having reduced width side walls and being substantially open at its side opposite its back wall except for a narrow article retaining wall portion. At its end wall remote from the retaining wall portion, the package has a retention tab projecting into the open mouth of an article within the package to retain the article therein. A foldable wall portion contained in the blank collapses onto the back wall and side walls of the display package and is erectable to create a full flat wall on the protective rectangular box opposite and parallel to the back wall.

I claim: 
     
       1. A unitary package for glassware and the like which is convertible from a closed protective box to a display package, the unitary package being formed from a single initially flat blank of sheet material, said blank including first, second, third and fourth rectangular panels connected together on first, second and third parallel fold lines, the first panel having a retaining tab connected thereto on a fourth fold line which is parallel to the first, second and third fold lines, said panels being foldable on said first, second and third fold lines to form a rectangular cross-section sleeve and said retaining tab being foldable on the fourth fold line to overlap a portion of the fourth panel and adapted to be adhesively attached thereto for completing said sleeve, interengaging flap means on corresponding ends of said rectangular panels and being foldable on fold lines across such ends of the panels whereby a closed end wall for said unitary package can be constructed from said flap means, said blank further including within the second, third and fourth panels a foldable portion bounded by one end of the third panel and by cuts in the second, third and fourth panels, said foldable portion being adapted to be pushed into the interior of said sleeve and to lie against said first panel and against portions of the second and fourth panels, the foldable portion after being pushed into the interior of said sleeve forming with the first panel a back wall for a display package and forming with said portions of the second and fourth panels reduced height side walls for the display package extending substantially perpendicular to said back wall, and flap means on the other ends of the first, second and fourth panels and being foldable on fold lines across said other ends and being interengageable and attachable to form a second end wall on said unitary package, the first-named and second end walls projecting well above said reduced height side walls in the display package, the flap means on said other ends of the first, second and fourth panels including a notch formed in a flap carried by the fourth panel and a retention tab cut from a flap carried by the first panel and being foldable on a folding line in the last-named flap, whereby said retention tab can be pushed through said notch and into the interior of the display package and into the interior of a glassware article held in the display package when said flap means on the other ends of the first, second and fourth panels are forming said second end wall, and said third panel having a relatively narrow article retaining wall portion at one end of the third panel bounded in part by a cut in the third panel and extending between said side walls in the display package adjacent to one edge of said closed end wall and being in spaced opposing relationship to said back wall in said display package and coacting with said retention tab to retain a glassware article in the display package. 
     
     
       2. A unitary package as defined in claim 1, and said foldable portion having a median fold line within the third panel parallel to the first, second and third parallel fold lines and having two additional parallel fold lines within the second and fourth panels substantially centrally thereof, and said cuts in the second and fourth panels converging and joining the ends of the fold lines within the second and fourth panels. 
     
     
       3. A unitary package as defined in claim 2, and the flap having said notch formed therein also having an extension tab which is insertable between the portion of the second panel and the opposing part of said foldable portion forming one reduced height side wall of the display package. 
     
     
       4. A unitary package as defined in claim 3, and extension tabs carried by said interengaging flap means and being foldable on parallel angular fold lines of flaps on the first and third panels and being adhesively attachable to flaps on the second and fourth panels to complete said closed end wall, and said closed end wall being collapsible and erectable by folding on said angular fold lines whereby said unitary package can be returned to a flat state. 
     
     
       5. A unitary package as defined in claim 2, and a cut formed in said foldable portion across the third panel and partially across the second and fourth panels and extending between and intersecting the previously-named converging cuts in the second and fourth panels to define in the second, third and fourth panels a removable section of said blank forming a small viewing window. 
     
     
       6. A package for a drinking glass or the like which is convertible from a closed rectangular box to a display device, said package comprising a back wall, a pair of opposite end walls rising from the back wall and a pair of side walls rising from the back wall and extending between the end walls and having reduced height portions along major portions of their lengths between the end walls, a folding wall portion on the package including a central panel adapted in one mode of use to collapse on and lie against said back wall and in another mode of use to be arranged in spaced parallel relationship with the back wall, said folding wall portion further including two side panels hinged to said central panel and hinged to the edges of the reduced height side wall portions along parallel fold lines, a narrow retaining wall portion on the package connected with one end wall thereof and connected between said side walls and being in spaced parallel relationship to one end portion of said back wall, and a retaining element on the other end wall of the package near the lateral center of the back wall and substantially between the side walls and projecting inwardly of said other end wall to enter the interior of a drinking glass being displayed in the package while the opposite end of the drinking glass is being retained by said narrow retaining wall in the display position. 
     
     
       7. A package for a drinking glass or the like as defined in claim 6, and the folding wall portion being terminated within the package somewhat inwardly of the end wall connected with said narrow retaining wall whereby the folding wall portion and narrow retaining wall can form a complete front wall on the package in spaced parallel relationship to said back wall when the folding wall portion is moved on its folding lines to form said closed rectagular box.